Microbial diversity of Nepalese fermented dish (Gundruk) and enhancing its fermentation using lactic acid Bacteria...

A typical non-salted fermented dish from Nepal, Gundruk is made from vegetables like radish, mustard, and rape in attempt to food preservation. The study primarily aimed to isolate lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from naturally fermented Gundruk and utilize them as starter cultures to maintain consistency in taste, flavor, and quality across different batches. The study focused on improvised technique of traditional Gundruk making. In totality, six spontaneously fermented and twelve probiotic products were made from mustard, rapeseed, and cauliflower leaves. Lactobacillus spp. was isolated from spontaneously prepared Gundruk and studied for its sugar fermentation pattern. Microbial and chemical analyses during natural Gundruk fermentation were compared with probiotic Gundruk. Four typical Lactobacillus were used as starters for making modified Gundruk. The total viable cell counts in spontaneously fermented products ranged between 6 × 10⁵ to 6 × 10⁷ cfu/g. The drop in pH of spontaneously fermented Gundruk was 7.3 ± 0.1 to 4.5 ± 0.1. The total acidity ranged from 0.0216% to 0.009%. Sensory evaluation showed only slight differences between probiotic and traditional Gundruk. These findings suggest that incorporating LAB as starter cultures can optimize Gundruk production while maintaining its traditional characteristics, making it a promising approach for standardized large-scale production.